NCJ Number
192563
Journal
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs Volume: 33 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2001 Pages: 255-262
Date Published
September 2001
Length
8 pages
Annotation
The purpose of this research study was to understand the impact of enhanced treatment services on program completion in a modified therapeutic community for offenders dually diagnosed and/or female.
Abstract
Therapeutic communities (TCs) have been a popular form of treatment intervention allowing offenders to remain in the community and receive intensive substance abuse treatment services. TCs are highly structured, long-term residential treatment modalities. However, both treatment and corrections professionals have acknowledged that there are some offenders with special needs that would benefit from enhanced treatment services. In addition, female clients were seen as potentially needing different or additional treatment services to enhance outcomes. This study attempts to understand the effectiveness of therapeutic communities with enhanced services for specialized populations on enhanced treatment completion rates. Data for this research were obtained from a program evaluation of a TC residential treatment program in Florida and consisted of 82 clients. Results indicate that providing additional services to offenders with mental health needs in the context of a substance abuse treatment program does not result in lower levels of program completion. Dually diagnosed men had the highest rate of program completion and dually diagnosed women had outcomes comparable to those without co-occurring disorders. The findings suggest that specialized services for female clients need not be in gender-specific programs. This treatment model shows the potential to maximize existing resources for treating substance-abusing criminal offenders. It allows for male and female offenders to be treated in the same setting, but with enhancements to existing program components, offering gender-specific services. Tables and references